Slim picking? Check out Dublin’s skinniest house for €285k

Located just off Camden Street, beside the old Meath Hospital, 19a Long Lane has long been known as the Skinny House. The name harks back to the early 1900s when the houses on this redbrick terrace were first constructed; the builders worked inwards from both ends of the street and ended up with a sizeable chunk of open space in the middle. Hence, the Skinny House, measuring under 2m (6.5ft) wide, was born.

Attracted by its diminutive potential, Sasha Sykes and her husband Tom bought the house in 2013. Pooling their talents, they have created a sleek, comfortable and cosy living space full of novelty, which sleeps four people. This may seem like a lot, until you consider that the Skinny House was home to a family of 12 in the 1950s.

“We bought the Skinny House when we lived in the country and planned to use it as a pied-à-terre in the city. To begin with, we put it on Airbnb for the odd night, and gradually that took over,” says Mr Sykes. (The property rented for €100 per night on Airbnb.)

“Now we actually live in Dublin, and with the recent change in the rules around Airbnb, we have decided to sell. It’s really gut-wrenching because it’s such a cool place and we had always hoped our kids would have it for university.”

Situated in the south city centre, with Portobello and Camden Street nearby, the property begins with a small entrance hall, next to which a bunk bed fits in behind a partition wall. Much of the revamped interior is by Ms Sykes, an artist and sculptural furniture maker, whose works include "The Wall" in the National Museum of Ireland.

The high ceiling is cleverly used for clothes storage, thanks to an original pulley-operated drying rack, which has found a new purpose as a wardrobe in the sky.

Looking upwards in the smaller second room, the mezzanine sleep loft is enhanced with a skylight, creating a snug space for a double bed accessed via steps. Remove the bunk beds and the area beneath could also serve as a dining area.

Artist Paul Monaghan came on board to paint murals, enhancing the illusion of space in both the living and dining areas.

With a fitted galley kitchen, the back door leads to a slender patio with a shed at the end. At just 32sq m (344sq ft) 19a is for sale through Sherry FitzGerald seeking €285,000.

“We tended to massively undersell the Skinny House to potential guests, and really exaggerate how tiny it was,” says Mr Sykes. “When they left reviews, they would often say they were surprised how spacious it felt, especially with the high ceilings.”

Of course, you can’t please everyone, and, as Mr Sykes recalls, they did get one guest who wrote, “I loved this place, but it was a bit small.”